Essay Judges
We are excited that a distinguished group of aviation employees, including several who were profiled in "Reclaiming the Sky" and others who are central to the story, have agreed to serve as judges for the resiliency essay competition.
The panel will be led by Virginia Buckingham, who as Executive Director of Massport on 9/11 was head of Logan Airport in Boston that day, and will include Debbie Roland from American Airlines; Eileen Ammiano and Kathy Denker from United Airlines; Lysa Scully Leiponis and Cedrick Fulton, both of whom served at the Port Authority of NY and NJ, John Duval and Jennifer Juul, industry leaders, whose profiles are shown below.
Other judges will be added as they are named.
Virginia Buckingham
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Virginia Buckingham was the first woman to serve as chief of staff for two successive Massachusetts governors - Governors Weld and Cellucci. She was the first woman named chief executive officer of the Massachusetts Port Authority, operator of Boston's Logan International Airport and the Port of Boston.
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Eileen Ammiano was a United Airlines flight attendant supervisor based at Newark airport on 9/11. She was initially scheduled to be on Flight 93.
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Eileen Ammiano
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Cedrick Fulton
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Cedrick worked with many of the Port Authority employees featured in "Reclaiming the Sky" during his tenure at the Port Authority of NY and NJ. Before retiring, he served as President of the Triborough Bridge & Tunnel Authority (TBTA) for the NY Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
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Debbie M. Roland started as an American Airlines Flight Attendant in July 1976.
Throughout her forty-two years, Debbie volunteered with the WINGS Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization assisting American Airline flight attendants nationwide in financial need.
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Debbie M. Roland
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Meet New Judges for 2023 |
Lysa Scully Leiponis
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As CEO and principal of her advisory firm, LL Aviation Advisors, LLC, Lysa uses her 37 years of experience to provide counsel on airport leadership and infrastructure development. She is a Board Director for JFK New Terminal One, Board Director for Sky Harbour Group, and member of Parsons Corporation Strategic Advisory Board. As former CEO/General Manager of LaGuardia Airport, Lysa is recognized for leading the airport during its $9 billion transformative redevelopment program. Lysa is a 9-11 survivor having escaped from her office in One World Trade Center on that tragic day, and has worked with many of the heroes of 9-11.
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Kathy is National Vice-president for Clipped Wings. The organization is open to current and former flight attendants from United, Capital, Pan Am and Continental Airlines. Kathy's main duty is membership and adding to the group's twenty-six chapters to promote camaraderie and support philanthropic projects. The group's national philanthropy is Special Olympics and donating grants to parents of special athletes! In the past, Kathy was Treasurer and President of the EWR Chapter, and she played a key role with her UAL flight attendant colleagues in creating the memorial in Shanksville, PA for Flight 93.
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Kathy Denker
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John Duval
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John was the Deputy Director of Operations for Massport at Logan Airport on 9/11. He started his career by pushing a broom in the parking garage at Logan, he's proud to say, and he worked his way up into senior management - mentoring young men and women along the way. He has also held a senior leadership position with Austin Industries, a major company in the aviation industry. In addition to his membership in ACI-NA he has been a Chairman for AAAE.
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Jennifer Juul is Senior Director, Business Development for SSP America. She has loved and worked in aviation since 2004 on both ends of the spectrum - as a sole proprietor of a small business and for large companies. Her solutions, service-oriented perspective has always been rooted in hospitality.
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Jennifer Juul
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